OTTAWA ? A controversial addition to the historic Chateau Laurier was approved Wednesday, but Ottawa’s city council will meet again Thursday to vote on it one more time.
In a 14-9 split, councillors voted down a motion that would have voided a permit to build the addition to the century-old heritage building.
Rendering Courtesy of architectsAlliance
The years-long debate concerns a seven-storey, 147-room addition that would be built on the north side of the castle-like hotel next to Parliament Hill. The proposal quickly became a major point of contention in the capital, as critics said it would be an eyesore and clash with the style of the existing hotel.
Mathieu Fleury, the councillor sponsoring the motion to oppose the development, noted during Wednesday’s meeting that even many of the councillors who were voting in favour of the project had said they personally dislike it. And the response from citizens, he said, is obvious. ?We have a responsibility to the public, and the public has been very clear,? Fleury said.
Rendering Courtesy of architectsAlliance
The addition is designed by Toronto-based architectsAlliance, known for condominiums that have included towers in Toronto’s Distillery District. Heritage architecture principles say that a new addition to an old structure shouldn’t try to copy the existing building; the multiple designs the Chateau Laurier’s owners have submitted have all been distinctly modern, as a choice to live up to tha...